This invention relates to dental equipment and more particularly to dental trays which prevent the spread of disease.
Various dental procedures involve the use of a dental tray for holding in a readily accessible manner the dental instruments and other accessories needed to perform that procedure. These trays are generally standardized in terms of size, overall shape, and general placement of the compartments formed therein. Heretofore, these dental trays have been injection molded from a hard plastic such as polypropylene.
The prior art polypropylene trays have served their function well for many years, but they could be improved. One area in which improvement could be achieved is in the area of infection control and cross contamination. The prior art polypropylene trays are reusable trays which must be thoroughly cleaned between uses to prevent the spread of disease (such as serum hepatitis, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), or the like) between successive patients or between the patient and a dental professional (hygienist, dental assistant, or dentist). Moreover, the cleaning operation itself exposes the dental professional to the risk of infection from the blood present on the tray.
Since the adequacy of the cleaning operation with the prior art trays often depends upon the amount of time available to perform the cleaning and the conscientiousness of the person performing the cleaning operation, the prior art trays were not always adequately cleaned.
In addition to the possibility of transmitting diseases with the prior art trays, the cleaning operation itself added to the expense of the dental procedure because of the time and materials required to perform the cleaning operation properly.
Because of the fact that the prior art tray is commonly used, however, it is not desirable to greatly change the overall appearance of the tray in designing a replacement. Any replacement tray should be immediately useable by the dental professional without extensive training on the use of the replacement tray.